The Asylum

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Publisher's Summary

A brilliant new Gothic thriller from the acclaimed author of The Ghost Writer and The Séance.

Confused and disoriented, Georgina Ferrars awakens in a small room in Tregannon House, a private asylum in a remote corner of England. She has no memory of the past few weeks. The doctor Maynard Straker tells her that she admitted herself under the name Lucy Ashton the day before and then suffered a seizure. When she insists he has mistaken her for someone else, Dr. Straker sends a telegram to her uncle, who replies that Georgina Ferrars is at home with him in London: "Your patient must be an imposter."

Suddenly her voluntary confinement becomes involuntary. Who is the woman in her uncle’s house? And what has become of her two most precious possessions: a dragonfly pin left to her by her mother and a journal that contains the only record of those missing weeks? Georgina’s perilous quest to free herself takes her from a cliffside cottage on the Isle of Wight to the secret passages of Tregannon House and into a web of hidden family ties on which her survival depends.

Here is another delicious read from the author praised by Ruth Rendell as having "a gift for creating suspense, apparently effortlessly, as if it belongs in the nature of fiction."

"Engrossing… The crisp prose and twisty plot will encourage many to read this in one sitting." (
Publishers Weekly)

"Harwood, master of creeping Victorian horror, does it again in his latest tale of pervasive evil and madness.… Twisted in every sense of the word and wonderfully atmospheric, this dark psychological tale shocks by degree until truth of a sort is revealed, in a style similar to that of Joanne Harris’
Sleep, Pale Sister and D. J. Taylor’s
Kept." (
Booklist)

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Mesmerizing

This book is different from my usual cup of tea, so I hesitated a bit before purchasing it. I was afraid it might be too formulaic to be enjoyable, but this has been one of my favorite audiobooks in some time. First, it is very atmospheric; I was immediately drawn into this world. Harwood created a main character to whom I was immediately drawn. Much of the story is told through flashbacks, but the narrative switches between the present and past so skillfully that transitions are seamless. As I listened, I always had questions that made me find just a few more minutes to listen a little more. The suspense isn't driven by violence and mayhem, but of situations with "something" just a bit off kilter, or the promise of information just around the bend. I don't want to say much about the plot because each new element of the plot reveals something that you've been wondering about. If you read the publisher's summary on the book's page, it gives you a decent enough feel for the book; just know that this story is very well crafted.

If you're considering this book, go ahead, you won't be disappointed. The writer is talented; Rosalyn Landor does her usual outstanding job; and the overall result is an experience that I am very glad I did not miss.

Good listen, but not gripping

It took a couple of tries to get into this one, and I really didn't get absorbed into the story until well into the second-half of the book. The gothic aura of the book is very well done, and the pervasive sense of impending doom does pervade the story in undercurrents, but it was tedious at times. The underlying question of her sanity is well balanced to make me wonder at times which way it was going to go. The narration was good.

Another brilliant novel from Harwood

Not much more can be said about the plot beyond the publisher's description without spoilers. Suffice to say we are, without preamble, plunged straightaway into a nightmarish situation that takes place in a Victorian England of the author's imagination.

In all his writing, Harwood displays a gift I associate strongly with M.R. James: he can take otherwise unremarkable characters, events, places, and situations and gently bring in horror in the most unexpected way, transforming all into the extraordinary. Each author does so with subtlety, beautifully economical writing, and an uncanny ability to evoke atmosphere.

I also recommend Harwood's stunningly original debut novel, "The Ghost Writer," and his second, "The Séance." Both are unforgettable, well-written tales that will stay with you long after you've finished the last pages. If you like your historical fiction with a slightly gothic twist, few do it better than Harwood.

As usual, I cannot wait to read his next novel. I hope you'll feel the same way.

Could Have Been Brilliant

What made the experience of listening to The Asylum the most enjoyable?

The narrator is well suited to reading this story and genre, I went 'into' the story very quickly

What was most disappointing about John Harwood’s story?

So damn bored with slipping in a bit of lesbian-ism, it seems that every writer out there right now is trying to add gravitas to their main plotline by adding in an irrelevant lesbian angle. Actually, its worse than that as its actually an INCEST lesbian angle, this really wearied me. I was really getting into the story and then BOOM - teenage boy fantasy storyline creeps in. Ruined the atmosphere.

What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?

I went into the story very quickly and the narration did not irritate me or get in the way of the story

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Who's the maddest of them all?

Any additional comments?

:LOVE the idea running through this book, especially in the beginning when the story line was so tight and you really didn't know who was mad, or lying or confused. Great idea for a novel. Shame about the late middle section.

Good Thriller, Excellent Narration

Excellent reader for a British mystery thriller. She was able to perform male dialog as well as the woman's. Pleasant voice.

Any additional comments?

The story line dragged a bit in the middle, but otherwise was a good read. It kept my undivided attention, except for the middle part, where letter after letter was read. In my opinion, sometimes a more concise synopsis would have sufficed.

It was ok

I love Victorian mysteries. I enjoyed the Seance novel more than this one. The narrator was excellent and frankly carried the so so story. I did finish until the end so it wasn’t a bad story. Just hard to connect fully to the characters.

Melodramatic pastiche of 19th century novels?

Excellent narration in spite of a rather silly story long on coincidence, hysteria, and doubles.

1 person found this helpful

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Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

barjil

05-27-13

A cracking Gothic yarn!

I have raced through this book and am now sorry I've finished it. It has overtones of Wilkie Collins but maybe that's because it's set in the 19th century and the asylum reminded me of 'The Woman in White' - this is far more exciting, though.

The reader has a very refined voice which may irritate some people but it goes very well with the story and she's able to use it to voice the different characters. I looked for other books by John Harwood but this seems to be the only one.

10 people found this helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Louisa

07-07-13

A real treat

It's a real treat to find John Harwood in audio. His last book, The Seance appeared on audible for a nanosecond and then was withdrawn. Harwood tells deliberately gothic tales - but they are always very gripping and a very good read or listen. Rosalyn Landor's reading is good and she manages to give the characters the right personalities from the start. There is not much more to say about the story than you'll find in the blurb and one doesn't want to give any of the plot away so suffice it to say that it's an excellent summer listen or a good one for a cosy bedtime. Enjoy!

5 people found this helpful

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

3 out of 5 stars

Sharon

07-15-13

Darkly Menacing.

Never having had the pleasure of John Harwoods works before I didn't know what to expect. Dark and brooding you are immediately drawn in to a this mystery being drip fed clues along the way while Georgina Ferris tries to solve the puzzle of how she ended up in an asylum in Cornwall. She soon realises that the answers lie in her families past.The pace was perfect and as the drama unfolded I was almost climbing into my ipod.But damn it the ending was anti climatic, Dr Strakers part really confused me, but hey horses for courses, it still does not detract from the very excellent writing, even though the ending wasn't to my taste will still look for more by JH.

4 people found this helpful

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Macwoman

07-07-13

Victorian Gothic thriller

What did you like most about The Asylum?

Nicely judged and imagined Victorian tale of fear of madness, repressed sexuality, and greed.I did not think initially that I would follow this through to the end, but I did - the story got hold of me in a way that I often think marks a good writer. The author does not overdo the Gothic atmosphere, but all the ingredients are there: a remote asylum for the insane on Dartmoor, an aloof and questionable doctor with a strange laboratory in the grounds, a woman who suffers from amnesia so badly that she can remember nothing about how she came to be there. Who is doing what to whom? We do not find out till the very end, and in between there is a feast of those long newsy Victorian letters between friends, lost wills, tyrannical fathers and unfaithful lovers. Anyone who has enjoyed a good 19th century novel will enjoy this, and find it more accessible.

I don't usually go in for complaining about endings, as it seems to me that that is the author's choice, and their right. I can have an opinion, however, and that's fair enough. Some readers will find the ending unconvincing, but I thought it just about stood the reality test.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked the heroine for her doughty determination not to be put down by this crowd of Victorian men who truly felt their superiority to be so obvious as not to need any evidence to support it!

What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?

The reader does a good job of sustaining the atmosphere and maintaining the style of a carefully articulating, educated woman of the period, and I think she manages the frail male asylum heir particularly well.

Any additional comments?

Good listen for a boring trip home, or a rainy Saturday when you don't want anything that will stretch you too far.

4 people found this helpful

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Beccameriel

06-26-13

Gripping Victorian Gothic

Clearly inspired by The Woman in White, this is a good stab at a Victorian gothic novel. Shades of Sarah Waters and Michel Faber (but with less sex!). I could pick holes in the fact the the device of the letters is not very convincing - no one would report conversation like that in a letter - but it's so enjoyable overall that can forgive that. The story is, perhaps, a bit rushed at the end but it's jolly entertaining.

Rosalyn Landor has just the right voice for a genteel 19th century lady.

4 people found this helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

fiona

08-14-13

great twists and turns

An evocative period tale. Appealing heroine, great cast. The story is spooky and atmospheric. I would recommend this to fans of the seance.

3 people found this helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Stephen J. Welch

06-03-13

Much more compelling that the synopsis suggests

Very much enjoyed this book: an excellent story, with more complexity and a slowly revealed back story. This makes the narrative canvas much wider than might appear from the synopsis, and though the comparison with Wilkie Collins might be going a bit far (* fewer words than he would use I feel sure!), it is an excellent read.

3 people found this helpful

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

mollyeyre

07-28-14

Kept my interest

Overall this novel did keep my interest, as some other reviewers have mentioned, there is a strong 'Woman in White' feeling running through. As this (Woman in W) is one of my all time favourite books the Asylum left me a bit unsure.The characters were well drawn, but as ever I get very irritated by the actions of the daft heroin as she misses the obvious!!Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book, there were a couple of twists that were quite good and it held my interest throughout.

2 people found this helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

S. Beaton

07-14-14

Loved It

Would you listen to The Asylum again? Why?

Yes, I twas a very interesting and mind gripping story, which kept you in suspense.

2 people found this helpful

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

3 out of 5 stars

Sharon

02-12-20

Very muddled and low impact ending

I was disappointed by the ending, let down by what started out as quite exciting.